By the way, both Rurouni Kenshin and the characters of Polgara and Beldaran don't belong to me. Rurouni Kenshin was written by and belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro, while Polgara and Beldaran are the creations of David Eddings (even though I did change their characters a bit) I guess that ends the legality stuff =D
Chapter 13: Reliving the Fateful Battle
"So how can you see what your life is worth or where your value lies? You can never see through the eyes of man. You must look at your life, look at your life through heaven’s eyes "
– Through Heaven’s Eyes, The Prince of Egypt
Back in the Immortal Realm, Polgara and Beldaran found themselves in the middle of a crisis.
“We’ve got to do something!” cried Polgara. “We can’t just let Kaoru die all over again. Somehow we’ve got to warn Kenshin that today’s the day…”
“You know the angels told us not to interfere. We have to let everything run its own course.” Beldaran’s voice was firm but there was an uncertain look in her eyes. She was just as afraid that something would go wrong.
“I don’t care! I’m going there right now to warn Kenji…” As Polgara began to change herself into human form, a thick cloud of smoke suddenly surrounded the two of them.
“You’re not going anywhere!” said a low voice menacingly. An army of demons appeared before their eyes, surrounding both Polgara and Beldaran in a threatening semicircle.
“Damn!” muttered Polgara. “Who invited you losers to join the party?” She let loose a bolt of thunder at the demon nearest to her, causing him to fly backwards and disintegrate into a pile of dust. Beldaran made quick gesture and a staff appeared in her hand.
“Looks like we have to get rid of these guys first! You with me Pol?” Beldaran swung her staff high in the air, shooting a blaze of white light at the cloaked figure who was attempting to grab her. The demon staggered back in pain, collapsing on the floor.
“You bet! Let’s get them!” cried Polgara, as both immortal and angel gathered their powers and rushed towards the attacking demons.
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"Kenshin!!!" Kaoru's voice reached Kenji's ears, causing him to stiffen up in shock for a second. Then without hesitation he raced out of the kitchen towards the practice room, a sense of dread spreading through his entire body. Dimly he realized that Yahiko, Sanosuke and Megumi were right on his heels. Kenji burst through the clearing and saw a disturbingly familiar seen. Enishi stood in the center of the room, a sword raised over Kaoru’s form. The sword swung down exactly the way Kenji remembered, and he couldn’t get there in time.
“Kaoru….no!!!!” he cried as he saw her fall, blood beginning to stain the front of her yellow kimono.
In a rage he reached Enishi and managed to block the next thrust with his sakabato. The metallic ring of swords clashing rang through the dojo yard, causing birds to shoot into the skies in a panic. Enishi stepped back with a flourish, and bowed low. His lips curled in a mad smile.
“So, Battousai, we meet again. I finally get another opportunity to send that worthless life of yours to hell.” Enishi knelt in a battle stance, changing the grip on his sword.
Kenji’s eyes flashed yellow as he knelt into a battle stance, sheathing his sword in typical Kenshin fashion. One cold word said it all. "Come."
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"There's too many of them Beldaran! What are we going to do?" yelled Polgara as she lifted her hand to ward off another attack.
"I don't know! Keep trying!" Beldaran shouted back in a panic as a blast of wind assailed her, sending her to her knees. The staff slipped from her hands as she fought to stand back up.
“Beldaran!” cried Polgara, rushing over to her friend.
“I’m okay,” came the quiet reply as Beldaran struggled to her feet. She fell back on her knees, too weak to keep herself in a standing position.
“You’re going to pay for that!” Polgara gathered her concentration and stared at the demon that created the wind blast. The ground beneath him exploded as the demon disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
“Pol…stop! Get out of here while you can and get help. You’re too weak to fight them all by yourself.”
“No way am I leaving you here!” She stood up slowly, preparing to block another attack as the remaining demons gathered closer.
Suddenly a bright light appeared and a loud voice burst through the chaos.
“Have at them!!!”
Both Polgara and Beldaran gasped. The demons turned to see Elenia and the other immortals surrounding them in a tight circle, while a group of angels hovered in the air above them threateningly.
The fight began anew, and in a matter of seconds the demons were all either defeated or obliterated. “Take care of this garbage,” ordered Elenia in an authoritative voice as she rushed towards Polgara and Beldaran. She looked at the two with a worried glance, “Are you okay?”
Beldaran had a frantic look in her eyes. “Kenji! He’s probably fighting with Enishi right now! We have to help him!”
Cadmiel suddenly appeared beside Elenia. Angel and Immortal exchanged glances, and the angel of Fate finally gave a small nod. "Okay, then what are we waiting for?"
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"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Ryo Sho Sen!" shouted Kenji as he raced towards Enishi with lightning speed. The attack was blocked and in a flash of silver Enishi's katana connected with Kenji's arm. Blood seeped through the material of his gi, turning it a dark red color.
“Give up gracefully Battousai. You cannot win this one.” Enishi smiled maddeningly at his opponent.
“Never.” After a moment of silence, suddenly Kenji flew into the air, pulling his sword into position and closing his eyes. Enishi’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected move.
“He’s using the same technique he invented during that fight with Shigure!” gasped Sano, who had been watching the battle closely.
Kenji’s sakabato crashed against Enishi’s katana with incredible force, breaking the metal into two pieces. As Kenji landed gracefully on his feet, Enishi stared at his broken katana in shock. Without any warning, Kenji swung the sakabato one last time, the dull side of the blade connecting with Enishi’s throat and knocking him unconscious. As he stared at Enishi’s still form, a blue light began to glow and suddenly two familiar figures appeared.
“Polgara, Beldaran. What happened to you?” Kenji stared at the two who stood before him in tattered clothes.
“We had a little trouble on the way, but nothing we couldn’t handle,” came Polgara’s reply. “Is Kaoru okay?”
Kenji’s face became grim as all three people moved closer to where Megumi and Yahiko were holding a piece of cloth from Kaoru’s kimono against her wound. Megumi looked up with tears in her eyes.
“I don’t know if I can stop the bleeding, Ken-san.”
Beldaran pulled Kenji aside and spoke to him quietly. “Your fight is over, Kenji. It’s time for you to return home.”
“No!!! I can’t leave without knowing if Kaoru is going to be okay!.”
“I’m sorry Kenji, but this is the way it has to be. If you stay here longer than necessary you might disturb the balance of the time and space. We can’t take that chance.”
Kenji shook his head and sank to his knees beside Kaoru, who was lying on the ground. A weak smile graced her face as she reached out a hand. He gripped it tightly in his own, tears shining in his violet eyes. Her voice was so weak he had to lean closer in order to hear her words. “Kenji, thank you. Now that your fight is finished, you’ll have to go back home.” Her voice trailed off as she searched his face. “You must not worry about me anymore. Just promise me that you won’t let what happens in the past destroy your future. I couldn’t live with myself if I knew that I was responsible for making you miserable.”
“Kaoru…” Kenji’s voice trailed off into silence as he stared down at the woman who he had loved for more lifetimes than he could remember.
“Promise me!” she repeated fiercely, punctuating her words by squeezing his hand.
Kenji bowed his head and whispered, “I promise Kaoru-dono. Good bye.” Kenji lifted his eyes and stared into Kaoru’s face one last time.
Then he collapsed as the two mysterious figures disappeared in a blaze of
blue light.
Chapter 14: What a Wonderful World This Would Be
"I’ll be there when the world stops turning, I’ll be there when the storm is through, in the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you"
– At the Beginning, Richard Marx and Donna Lewis
“Kenji! Kenji! Wake up!” Kenji was suddenly aware of someone shaking his shoulder. Struggling to open his eyes, he blinked against the bright sunlight and found Ayame, Tsuyoshi, Shohei, Tetsuko, and Akira staring down at him.
Sitting up gingerly, he rubbed the back of his head and grimaced. “What happened to me?”
Shohei grinned in relief. “You fainted. I guess it was the damn heat or something, cuz you were out for almost half an hour. One second you were sitting on a rock and the next you were lying on the ground. You’ve been working too hard Kenji.”
Kenji looked around but both Polgara and Beldaran were nowhere to be found. “What about Usagi and Akane?”
“Who are you talking about?” asked Ayame in confusion. “Are you sure you’re okay, Kenji?”
So I guess they’re gone too, thought Kenji to himself. And I’m alone again, just like when I was a wandering rurounin back in the Meiji. But I promised Kaoru…
Kenji smiled up at the worried faces that were staring at him nervously. “I’m fine.”
“Good! Because it’s just about time to catch the train back to Tokyo. Are you feeling up to it?”
Kenji nodded as he stood up. Noticing that the sword he had found buried in the dirt was still there, he shook his head. As everyone began to rush towards the waiting car that would take them to the train station, Kenji took one last look at the sword. Then he turned around and began walking away, trying to leave both the past and the heartache behind him.
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With a sigh, Kenji slid an old history book back onto the top shelf of the library bookcase. So, Kaoru had survived and married Kenshin. They had two children together, with their oldest son being named Himura Kenji. Kenji had to smile at the name and shake his head, feeling both happy for the couple and a bit sad for himself at the same time. Sometimes he found himself wishing that he could’ve stayed in the past with the woman he loved. Now the only thing he had left were memories of a happier time and an aching sense of loneliness that wouldn’t go away. Even his dreams had stopped haunting him since that fateful battle, creating more distance between him and the past.
“Hey Kenji! What are you doing here all by yourself?” Shohei appeared behind him and gave his friend a curious look. “Don’t tell me you’re studying.”
“No, Sho, I was just doing some thinking.”
“Well I’ve been starving for hours. Aya-chan and Tsuyoshi invited us to meet them for dinner at the Akabeko this evening. Are you feeling up to it?”
“Sure. Why not?” Kenji gave him one of his silly smiles.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay though? You’ve been acting funny ever since you got back from Yokohama. The fall from the rock didn’t injure your head or anything, did it?”
“I’m fine, Sho. Don’t worry so much.” Kenji gave another smile and headed towards the library entrance. “Let’s go get some dinner.”
As the two walked out in the open air, Kenji suddenly stopped. “Hey Shohei, I forgot my books in the library. Go on without me and I’ll catch up with you okay?”
“Okay! But don’t be too long!.” Shohei flashed a cocky grin and waved as he continued walking down the street.
Kenji rushed back towards the table where he left his book bag and collided with another figure. Both of them fell to the floor with a loud thud.
“Oro!” gasped Kenji.
“Ouch!! Hey watch where you’re going!”
“I’m really sorry, I was in a hurry and I didn’t see you…” Kenji reached out a hand to help the other person up from the floor and his voice trailed off as he found himself staring into a pair of blue eyes. Blue eyes? Speechless, he continued to stare into the face of the young girl while she looked back in confusion. Her dark hair was pulled back into a french braid, and she was small for her age. The top of her head barely reached his chin.
She stood up, brushing the dust off her college uniform. Then she looked up at him and smiled. “That’s okay. And I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier. By the way, I’m Kumiko. Kumiko Yamaguchi.”
Kenji continued to stare in shock. It was her…Kaoru. It had to be. With a shaky smile he reached out to shake her hand. “My name’s Kenji. Nice to meet you Kumiko.”
“Nice to meet you too. For some reason you look awfully familiar. Have I seen you around before?”
Kenji shook his head with wonder. “Probably in another lifetime.”
“What?” asked Kumiko, looking rather confused.
With a laugh, Kenji smiled down at the girl in front of him. “Oh nothing. By the way, I’m really sorry for crashing into you like that. My friends are having dinner at the Akabeko later today, so if you would like to join us I could buy you dinner. Consider it an apology for being so clumsy and bumping into you.”
“Well if you put it that way, why not?” The young girl smiled at Kenji exactly the same way Kaoru had done so many times, many years before. And he found himself smiling back at her as both of them walked together towards the library door and a new beginning.
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Polgara and Beldaran looked down at Kumiko and Kenji from their perch on one of the many clouds in Heaven.
Polgara dusted off her hands and grinned in triumph. She flashed a thumbs-up sign and smiled at Beldaran. “Don’t you love happy endings?”
Beldaran nodded and sniffed with emotion as she accepted a kleenex that her friend handed to her. “That’s so romantic. We did a pretty good job, didn’t we?” Beldaran asked with a smile even though her eyes were overly bright.
“You bet! Now how about we go get some calzones and celebrate?”
Beldaran burst out laughing. “Allright. Maybe I’ll try the one with pesto this time…” The two stood up and rushed off towards Beldaran’s house as the wind caught their joyful laughter.
Back in the Forum, Elenia and Cadmiel sat at a small table while sipping some tea. Cadmiel gave Elenia a careful look, a question in his eyes.
“So you’re really not going to tell those two apprentices out there the real reason why Xanatos was after Kenji and Kenshin?”
“It seems unnecessary. Everything worked out fine,” replied Elenia calmly.
“What about Kenji? Don’t you think he deserves to know the truth? After all, we both know that Xanatos wasn’t after him at all. He wanted revenge on you.”
“The truth would only complicate matters. Besides, the reason why I allowed my son to be raised on Earth as a human was so that he could lead a normal, happy life. He seems perfectly content now, so there’s no reason for me to upset Kenji by telling him that he’s half Immortal.”
Cadmiel sighed. “Leave it to you, Elenia, to fall in love with a human. Come to think of it though, Kenji does look a lot like you, doesn’t he?”
“Well I am his mother. Good looks run in the family,” replied Elenia with a serene smile as she continued to sip her tea.
OWARI! THE END! IT’S FINALLY DONE! =D